10 things we learnt at the Digital Content Summit 2018

17 May 2018
| Author: Geoff Dodds

The Digital Content Summit 2018 took place on Tuesday 15th May 2018. The event was a great success and featured insights from a wide range of cross-industry speakers.

This is a must-attend summit for anybody interested in publishing, content development, social media, digital marketing, creative and brand management - it truly sets the agenda for the digital content world over the coming year.

After each event, it is always useful to take a step back and evaluate what we have learnt. Here are 10 lessons that will impact you going forward.

1. Young people don't use Facebook

Facebook is the giant of the social media world. Its algorithm changes and optimisation of the news feed send shivers down the backs of many marketers. However, if your target audience is young people then there is good news for you; although Facebook will tell you otherwise, young people are abandoning Facebook.

2. 4 out of 10 millennials think that YouTubers understand them more than friends

The influence of popular YouTubers is rising. This new YouTube generation are heavily swayed by vlogs showcasing products and services that their favourite influencer loves. We all know that the volume of content uploaded to YouTube is immense, 60 hours of video are uploaded each minute. The side effect is that the rangeof content is also high and viewers are able to get content that connects with them in an instant.

Brands that leverage YouTube influencers and a relevant audience are clearly on their way to gaining a new trusted client base.

3. Social Media is advertising and should be considered as such

Social Media forms part of your communications strategy - if you are reading this, that much is likely to be obvious to you. What might be less obvious is that every tweet, Facebook post and LinkedIn update posted from your company account doubles as advertising. When you create a billboard poster, you know there are a strict set of rules and regulations you must follow. The same is true for Social Media. The good news is that the Advertising Standards Authority has put out some advice to help your business comply with the rules in a simple and effective way.

If you are working with influencers, make sure you familiarise them with the rules and that they follow the sponsored post guidelines (both in law and guidelines each social network publish).

4. If you work in marketing, your job is show business

Marketing is a creative industry. How often do we forget this? Good content is something that entertains without being overly sales-focused. The attractiveness of your product will involve a number of techniques more commonly used in the showbiz industry. It is time for us to finally realise this and own it.

5. You can't do Lead Generation without brand awareness

Unfortunately, brand awareness takes time (and is something that will be constantly ongoing - otherwise, how do you expect to grow?). The point remains, however, that if nobody knows your brand, sending a user to a form on your website and asking for their personal data is unlikely to have a large amount of success.

Take some time to get your name out there, before you start focussing on that lead-gen.

6. The metrics that you measure will always depend on your goal

How do you know what success looks like? That's always a question the higher-ups are going to ask when you begin a campaign. The answer is pretty simple: the metrics that you will measure largely depend on your goal.

There is a lot of talk around 'vanity metrics' in the social media world, and we’re all guilty of this, but they are a touchpoint with the customer and something that is measurable - again, it stimulates that brand awareness.

7. You can use Wikipedia to research which topics people are currently interested in

Whilst Wikipedia is often thought of as a great place to get a general overview of a topic, increasing numbers of people consider it a reliable news source, according to a recent YouGov poll.

This means that when a conversation is happening, people typically research it on Wikipedia. The page stats from January 1st, 2015 are freely available and can help you plan your upcoming content.

8. Your brand is the sum of your product or service and your reputation

What is a 'brand'? It means different things to different people in different industries. One thing we should all be able to agree is that in a successful industry, the brand is as valuable, if not more valuable, than the product itself. For example, a Forbes survey in 2013 valued the Coca-Cola product and brand at $173bn; without the brand the product was valued at $93bn. That is quite some difference!

10. Know your niche

Chances are that you know your brand's unique selling point. You are a specialist in a certain subject and area. Building a strong community around that niche is both important and, as a marketer, quite an exciting prospect. You'll be actively building warm leads for your sales teams and keeping your niche loyal, engaged and entertained.

Did you attend DCS 2018? What were your main takeaways? Or what are your thoughts on the points we raise here? Let us know in the comments, we'd love to hear from you.